Firefighters

Authorities were called to a fire inside a 51-foot yacht docked outside a Newport Beach residence Monday afternoon. Newport Beach firefighters responded at 1:48 p.m. to a Sunseeker motor yacht at an Evening Star Lane home's residential dock in Dover Shores, according to a Fire Department news release Firefighters saw smoke coming from the yacht's main cabin and forced their way inside. The cabin was filled with heavy smoke and flames, but firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the inside of the yacht, according to the release.

Newport Beach firefighters responded to a garage fire Saturday near the 400 block of Aliso Avenue, authorities said. At 8:40 p.m. firefighters arrived to find a burning futon mattress in the two-car garage, according to Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Schulz. Firefighters put out the fire after taking the mattress into an alley adjacent to the home, according to a news release. The fire, which was isolated to the garage, was ruled an accident, caused by the spontaneous combustion of the mattress and oils.

Newport Beach firefighters are collecting care packages and individual donations for the city's adopted Marines battalion, the 1st Battalion 1st Marines. Double AA batteries, toiletries, foot powder, beef jerkey and other snacks that don't melt are on the list of requested items. A flyer announcing the drive also requests a "letter or notes thanking our Marines for their service. " Care packages and individual items can be dropped off at any Newport Beach Fire Station. Call (949)

Two firefighters - one from Costa Mesa and one from Newport Beach - were injured while battling a garage fire near city limits Thursday morning, authorities said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, said officials with the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach fire departments. About 15 Newport Beach and Costa Mesa fire trucks and about 35 firefighters responded to the blaze in the 300 block of 23rd Street in Costa Mesa at about 11:16 a.m, said Costa Mesa Fire Battalion Chief Kershaw.

Newport Beach firefighters doused a small grass fire near Dover Drive and Pacific Coast Highway late Saturday afternoon, officials said. A Metro Net dispatcher said the call came in at about 5:20 p.m. and the blaze was under control about eight minutes later. He said two fire trucks and seven firefighters responded to the scene. Asked whether anything sustained damage, the dispatcher replied, "Just the grass. " —Jill Cowan Twitter: @jillcowan

Costa Mesa police officers and firefighters are scheduled to meet with community members Sunday to answer people's questions and have pictures taken, Lt. Bryan Glass said in a news release. The meet and greet is to take place at the Target store, 3030 Harbor Blvd., from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., the release said. Members from both departments will answer questions on community, traffic and animal control issues. Children are invited to take pictures with department members and their vehicles.

There’s a sign on one of the refrigerators inside Newport Beach Fire Station No. 2 that reads: “Rockstar drinks: 50 cents; Large Gatorades, $2; Small Gatorades, $1; sodas, 50 cents. Always having something to drink…priceless.” While city taxpayers might pay their salaries, they don’t directly pay for the caffeine firefighters and medics ride on in the middle of the night while they are saving lives. It’s just one of several things firefighters and paramedics said the public often doesn’t know or is mistaken about.

A small house fire broke out in Newport Beach late Thursday night but firefighters extinguished it quickly, authorities said. Firefighters responded to a call on Bridgeport Road at about 11:46 p.m. Thursday and put the flames out within five minutes, Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Schulz said in a news release. One person was transported to the hospital and another was treated at the scene — both for injuries not sustained during the fire, the release said.

It took firefighters about an hour to douse a fire at a Costa Mesa office building that sent flames 20 to 30 feet into the air and a plume of black smoke over the 405 Freeway late Tuesday afternoon. The blaze started in the loading dock of a pharmaceutical company on Sunflower Avenue near where the street ends at the Santa Ana River channel, Costa Mesa Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Diamond said. At least 30 firefighters responded from crews across Orange County, including the Orange County Fire Authority and Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach fire departments.

A firefighter was injured battling an Eastside Costa Mesa house fire on Wednesday morning, officials said. About 30 Costa Mesa firefighters responded to reports of a house belching out smoke on Sherwood Street, off Santa Ana Avenue. When the first crews arrived, they ran hoses to the front and back of the two-story house and began looking for two elderly residents, Deputy Chief Fred Seguin said. Firefighters, however, weren't able to get more than 10 feet inside because of the dense smoke.

About half a dozen units from the Newport Beach Fire Department responded to a gas leak that sparked an evacuation over the weekend, but the quick reaction of a landlord brought the situation under control, a fire official said. A construction crew working in the lobby of an office building at 610 Newport Center Drive accidentally drilled into a 4-inch gas line about 2:20 p.m. Saturday, department Division Chief Ron Gamble said. The resulting noise was so loud you could hear it at a gym across a small courtyard from the building, according to Gamble.

Costa Mesa firefighters extinguished a fire in a three-story commercial building on Harbor Boulevard, authorities said Thursday. Fire Capt. Mike Hurd and his crew responded to a report of a structure fire in the 2700 block at 8:43 p.m. Wednesday, according to a news release. When they arrived, the crew saw smoke and fire coming from a business on the first floor of the building. They cut the padlock on a security gate to gain access to the building and knocked down the fire within 10 minutes, according to the release.

Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano announced Thursday that firefighter Nick Cerciello has been promoted to captain. "Nick has demonstrated sound leadership qualities, relevant technical competencies and a strong commitment to professional development," Stefano said in a statement. "We look forward to the many contributions Nick will bring to the organization in his new role. " Cerciello joined the department about eight years ago after stints at the Ventura County Fire Department, Orange County Fire Authority and the Tustin Federal Fire Department.

Costa Mesa firefighters rescued a woman and her dog late Tuesday night, after her fire alarms alerted neighbors to a blaze that had broken out in the 2100 block of Canyon Drive, authorities said. Residents of the townhome complex reported hearing the alarms just before midnight, according to a Costa Mesa Fire Department news release. When firefighters arrived on scene, they heard a woman screaming for help, as heavy smoke filled her kitchen, the release said. Firefighters broke into the locked home and found the woman on the floor, according to the release.

Firefighters battled a blaze in the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve on Thursday morning that burned just under an acre, officials said. It occurred around 6 a.m. near Irvine Avenue and Santiago Drive, not far from where another vegetation fire burned about 1.5 acres last week . Investigators from Newport Beach Fire Department and the Orange County Fire Authority will be looking for any people or series of circumstances connecting the...

Costa Mesa firefighters are collecting donations for families that were displaced when a fire ripped through an apartment complex on Wallace Avenue late last month. As of Monday, the Costa Mesa Firefighters Assn. had contributed a $500 gift card to Target, and Albertsons had contributed $50, to which local Albertsons Assistant Manager Steve Price added another $50, according to an email from Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano. Target has also offered a 15% discount to those affected by the blaze.

Newport Beach firefighters responded to a vegetation fire in the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve on Friday afternoon. The blaze along Irvine Avenue near Santiago Drive was contained to 1.5 acres about half an hour after firefighters responded at 12:54 p.m., said department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella. No injuries or structure damage was reported. The preserve is roughly 1,000 acres. Five Newport engines and some county firefighters responded, Manzella said. The cause of the fire will be jointly investigated by Newport Beach personnel and the Orange County Fire Authority.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department arson unit is investigating the cause of a weekend fire at a commercial property on West Baker Street, authorities said Monday. Firefighters responded to a structure fire in the 1100 block of West Baker Street at 8:05 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release. The blaze started next to the loading dock area under a 20-foot-tall metal awning and had spread to the back wall of the building when fire crews arrived. The fire was extinguished in 15 minutes and no injuries were reported, the release said.